The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9th, 1925. NATURAL FORCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9th, 1925. NATURAL FORCES.

The harnessing of nature i.s the world's task of the times. An Knglish writer proceeds to remark that we hear a threat deal—and not without cousidcrablo justification— of man’s mastery over Nature and iiow he lias harnessed her forces to his use, hut in our pride we sometimes seem to forget flow very easily Nature can master mankind and iiow completely our civilisation rests upon Nature behaving well. 1 he writer adds that he has been reading how the racing at Liverpool had to Ire stopped recently owing to fog, and though that may not appear a very serious matter, yet consider what life would, lie like if a pall of pea-soup fog were to envelop the whole of Kngland for a month. And it only requires a concatenation of circumstances for that to happen. If, on the whole, mankind emerges .successful from his eternal conflict with the forces of Nature, and if he even succeeds, to a great extent, in making use of these forces, it is only because chance favours him in the same way as it may favour a gambler; the wind that drives a ship along may, in a sudden violence, engulf the ship; the electricity which, gives us power may, in a sudden flash of lightning, destroy us. We are, indeed, always gambling with the forces of Nature, and when Nature puts forth her might we are as nothing before her. Think of the earthquake that shattered Tokio. or the world-wide devastation of the influenza epidemic of 1918. Many people are said to possess the defects of their qualities, and in all the gats of Nature there is a .sting. Life itself is hut the forerunner of death., and the tilings that sustain our lives may themselves deprive us of life. That is no reason for pessimism, for, it. is the scheme of the universe; hut when one hears people boasting of how we have conquered Nature, and when we see how easily a relatively small catastrophe like a fog can disorganise our existence, then one begins to wonder whether our boasting has much validity. We rely upon Nature not to “lc£ us down,” and, generally speak-

ing, Nature does not. But every now and then she shows her teeth. as though just to remind u.s that we are not so important as we think ; and tlum for a short time, we feel humldcd. One may defy anybody who lias been out in a really bad thunderstorm or at sea. in a desperate gale not to experience an emotion of complete puny impotence. Hut we soon regain our selfconfidence, for it is in the nature of mail to be pleased with himself and proud of his achievements. And, of course, they are remarkable, but they are not omnipotent. We cm guard against danger up to a point, but beyond that point we are helpless and In the hands of Providence. And yet mankind survives, because Providence is kind to the race if not always to the individual. And it i.s that knowledge, which makes patriotism so fine ami genuine .1 thing. We know that whatever happens to us, our country will survive, and we want its survival to be worthy of its past, even though we shall not be here to see its continued grea tncs.s.